Posted by Thierry Page on Sat, Jul 23, 2011 @ 05:06 PM
SIVOS has equipped the 60 Bornes WWTP in Vendée (French Atlantic coast) with an OdoWatch system to measure and model the dispersion of odors. The idea behind it is to lower the complaints from neighboring citizens and to have more targeted interventions.
After repeated complaints from tourists bothered by the smell, they didn't want to hear of it anymore! Yet, elected officials representing SIVOS (inter-municipal body formed to construct and run the 60 Bornes plant) and managers at Saur (the company now managing the 60 Bornes purification plant located in the districts of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez and Saint-Jean-de-Monts in Vendée) still didn’t know how to fight the odor pollution, a common problem with many industries (waste treatment centers, rendering plants, chemical plants, digestion plant, distilleries, etc.). The 60 Bornes plant processes wastewater from 17,000 inhabitants during winter, but has to handle wastewater from over 100,000 people during summer.
And, despite several investments made to minimize odors, its technical managers could not resolve the problem. SIVOS decided to set up a system to diagnose the spread of odors. Between 2004 and 2007, many projects to eliminate odors were tried. These projects ranged from deodorization by UV photocatalysis applied to primaries and sludge odor emissions, fat and drainage effluent treatments, and even an odor absorbing caulking ... they tried everything. To investigate further, they had to know where the smell came from.
SIVOS then decided to call Odotech, specializing in odor measurement and analysis technologies. They performed a diagnosis of the different sources. Sixteen were identified within the treatment plant, but also outside, within a radius of three kilometers.
In June 2008, the WWTP was finally equipped with Odotech's Odoscan system. Stage One: various odor samplings are carried out onsite the plant and around the site in the sewer system. The samples were then processed at the Odotech Lab by dynamic dilution olfactometry: they are diluted with odorless air and the resulting dilutions are then presented to a panel using sniffing ports.
The panel members indicate whether or not they detect an odor. The odor concentration values for each sources are then incorporated into the odor dispersion modeling software and merged in real-time with the weather data (wind direction, temperature, brightness, etc.) provided by a weather tower installed on site.
INVESTMENTS TO BE MADE WERE OPTIMIZED
Finally, SIVOS now has a real-time odor plume 24/7 (odor units per m3 of air) and can track continuously the dispersion of odors. The software uses AERMOD, a US-EPA approved model.
According to Jean-Michel Martin - Plant Manager, “This allows us to have an idea of how it spreads, where it goes, its intensity, even when the nose does not detect anything.” Operators are then able to make any necessary decisions: improve the capture of odors, decide the best time to remove the waste... “The technology allows us to better target the investments to be made”. One year after the implementation of the system, Saur is quite satisfied with it: only two complaints were recorded last year.
Following its proactive approach, SIVOS has since installed electronic noses on the most fluctuating sources, this time to set up a continuous measurement.
Posted by Thierry Page on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 @ 07:41 PM
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The SMTD and the Urban Community of Pau-Pyrénées (South-West of France) have organized a visitor's center at the site of Cap Ecologia in Lescar.
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This site has been operational since April of 2008, and offers a free guided visit of the various treatment facilities to the public.
This urban community, which comprises the 14 districts of Pau-Pyrénées, and the Syndicat Mixte de Traitement des Déchets (joint waste treatment association), which manages Cap Ecologia, are strengthening their transparency policy in regards to the operation and control of odor impact resulting from the site’s facilities: an incineration plant, a wastewater treatment plant, a composting plant, a waste management facility, a rehabilitated landfill, and a transfer dock, all certified ISO 14001.
Since 2009, Cap Ecologia has been using the OdoWatch system, which allows for the continuous monitoring, analysis, and management of odors.
According to Marc Jubault-Bregler, President of Cap Ecologia, “The OdoWatch system acquisition confirms the willingness of elected officials and managers to better track and manage all of the site’s odor issues, beyond simply meeting regulatory requirements. Our goal is to work towards zero nuisances. In fact, the challenges involving the location of the facilities - the proximity to a shopping center and an industrial area - require special attention. To achieve this goal, Veolia Water, a developer of wastewater treatment plants that holds a procurement contract with the SMTD and the district’s urban community, offered to install an OdoWatch system for us, a highly advanced technological solution to continuously measure odors, identify emission sources, and have a deep understanding of the phenomena in order to minimize these odors”.
Three e-noses to help track bad odors
The OdoWatch solution installed at the Cap Ecologia site is equipped with three 
electronic noses located at the main emitting sources, a dedicated weather station, a wireless communication system, a control unit and a computer for monitoring the results in real time. By merging the data received from the weather station with those sent by the electronic noses, the control center models the atmospheric dispersion of odors and displays the plume superimposed over the site’s aerial map.
These objective data will greatly improve the operator’s - VEOLIA Eau - knowledge of the nuisances and allow tangible information to be given to the people in the community. This makes OdoWatch a tool for managing and optimizing the site’s operation.
Posted by Thierry Page on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 @ 08:41 PM
The composting and anaerobic digestion facility of Hera Vekst, one of the largest in Norway, processes over 25,000 tons of sludge and organic waste. It is located near the town of Elverum, 140 km north of Oslo (Norway).
Since its start-up, residents complain of odors generated by the facility’s activities. In order to better manage odor emissions, Hera Vekst’s site managers decided to install OdoScan, a continuous odor monitoring system.
The sludge treatment and organic waste process used on the site consists of two stages. First, the waste received is placed in enclosed digesters, where it is degraded under anaerobic conditions. The methane created is recycled to produce green electricity. The mixture then enters the composting phase. The gases produced during the composting phase are processed with an acidic chemical scrubber and two biofilters before being released into the atmosphere.
The continuous real-time odor dispersion modeling system known as OdoScan was installed in January of 2009. This tool, consisting of a weather station on site and an atmospheric dispersion modeling software designed specifically for odors, allows for the monitoring of the olfactory impact of the site activities on the environment in real time.
In addition to implementing OdoScan, they launched a campaign to call on all the site’s neighbors to help create a citizens’ committee (The Nose Panel). The objective was to link any events related to odors that are identified by local residents to the information provided by the OdoScan system with the purpose of identifying a pattern in the operating and weather conditions that create these odors.
Since the implementation of the system, Hera Vekst’s managers were able to reduce the complaints related to odors by more than 50%. This was achieved by integrating the odor management system with the site’s daily operations.
This project was carried out following collaborative work initiated by Axelera with Green Business Norway. Odotech, a member of Axelera since 2007, was able to engage in commercial activities in Norway by using this network.
Posted by Thierry Page on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 @ 07:01 AM
This second test on odor management is designed for the professional involved in managing environmental odor issues for their industrial or municipal operations and concerned with the neighborhood relationship. Government agency personnel interested in problem-solving-oriented odor regulations would also find this test very instructional.
We invite you to try this questionnaire to the best of your knowledge (Note: The boxes are not configured to be checked). You will find a link at the end of this page to get the solution. Good Luck...
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1
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Odors are:
A) Odorant chemical compounds
B) The perception of odorant chemical compounds
C) Fine particulates detected by the nose
D) None of the above
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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2
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Today’s driver for odor management is:
A) The NIMBY syndrome
B) Fines, penalties and operating permits
C) The will for being a good neighbour
D) All of the above
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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3
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In ambient air, the human nose is mainly sensitive to:
A) Average concentrations
B) Peaks of concentrations
C) Low chemical concentrations
D) Annual concentrations
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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4
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20,000 o.u./m3 means that :
A) The gas sample is almost odourless
B) The odor flow rate of this source is large
C) It takes 20,000 dilutions to reach the detection threshold for this gas sample
D) It is too strong to measure by dynamic olfactometry
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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5
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The following material is inappropriate for odor sampling and conservation
A) Teflon
B) Neoprene
C) Tedlar
D) Stainless steel
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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6
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The odor flux is the:
A) Odor flow rate per unit of surface
B) Odor concentration per unit of surface
C) Odor concentration per unit of gas flow rate
D) Odor flow rate at the sniffing port of the olfactometer
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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7
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In ambient air, odor concentrations will vary:
A) At second time scale
B) At minute time scale
C) At hourly time scale
D) All of the above
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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8
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Atmospheric dispersion modelling does not take into account:
A) Atmospheric turbulence
B) Humidity and atmospheric pressure
C) Wind speed
D) Land use and surface roughness
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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9
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Witch statement is false:
A) Perception of odors in ambient air is influenced by concentration fluctuations
B) Numerous (≈ 10 to 15) ambient discrete samplings are good enough to get a statistically valid evaluation of a plume distribution
C) An odour dispersion model should account for concentration fluctuations
D) Percentile distributions are good tools to assess frequency of exposure to odors
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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10
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For odor control:
A) Ground level sources should be addressed first
B) Sources with the highest odor flow rates should be addressed first
C) Sources with the higher odour concentrations should be addressed first
D) Vents of building should be addressed first
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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11
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Odor perception is influenced by:
A) Chemical odorant concentrations
B) Environmental conditions (type of environment, cleanness, noise, esthetics, temperature)
C) Personal conditions (mood, health, past experience)
D) All of the above
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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12
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Which industrial or municipal odor problems are the easiest to solve:
A) Waste water treatment plants
B) Composting and municipal solid wastes
C) Large industrial plants (refineries, pulp and paper, etc.)
D) All are challenging without straight forward solutions
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A □
B □
C □
D □
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Now you’re impatient to know how well you did! Click on next button to get your results.
Odor management is an area where many industrial operations and municipalities face odor issues. Nevertheless, it has received inadequate attention. Part of the reason for this state of affairs is that industrial operators and municipalities sometimes do not know how to approach identifying and/or solving the problem.